Okay, my pH is only slightly high, 7.4-7.5. I would like it to be at 7, maybe a little bit higher. I keep on hearing about using peat in the filter to soften water. Where do you get peat? How much do you use? Do you leave it in all the time, or only for a while? Is it applicable in my situation? Should I use one of those proper ph powders instead? How many questions can fit in one post???????
Peat to soften water
- Thread starter BioHazard
- Start date
You can also use driftwood to soften the water and lower the pH. Most peat leaches out all of its humic and tannic acids within 48 hours.
The KEY is not to use ANY activated carbon, which will absorb the humic and tannic acids first, and then become too saturated to absorb anything that is actually harmful.
I make up for the lack of activated carbon with massive water changes.
The KEY is not to use ANY activated carbon, which will absorb the humic and tannic acids first, and then become too saturated to absorb anything that is actually harmful.
I make up for the lack of activated carbon with massive water changes.
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Look for sphagnum moss in the gardening section of Wal-Mart or at a nursery. Long-fibered natural moss is easier to work with than loose/processed stuff. It will soften the water and lower the pH gradually, which is better than using a chemical mixture to alter it quickly. Check your KH as well, the higher that is the more difficult it will be to lower the pH until you get the KH down to 0. (KH = carbonate hardness, carbonates buffer the pH.) Peat moss will acidify the water, and the acid will break down the carbonates. Once they're eliminated the pH will drop.
Cherry shrimp are perfectly fine in your pH. My tap water is closer to 7.8 and my RCS are breeding like crazy. No need to change anything.
Indeed, Apisto's may need softer, acidic water for breeding but cherry shrimp don't. I actually used crushed coral in my cherry shrimp tank to maintain the pH and hardness. If the water is too soft/acidic it will erode their exoskeletons, the same as it will with snail shells.
